Winding apparatus



April Z0, 1943. E. J. MclLvRlED 2,317,290

wINDNG APPARATUS Filed oct. 10, 1939 lill ATTORNEY 5 Patented pr. 20,1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Vaughn Machinery Com pany, CuyahogaFalls,

Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 10, 1939, Serial No.298,839

4 Claims.

This invention relates to winding apparatus and more particularly toimproved apparatus of this kind in which the speed of a rotatable takeupmember is automatically varied in response to the building-up of woundmaterial on such take-up member.

Another object of my invention is to provide improved winding apparatusadapted to be used with a wire drawing machine or other device fortaking up material being delivered or payed-out and in which the drivingmeans for the rotatable take-up member includes a magnetic clutchadapted to be adjusted in response to the building-up of wound materialfor automatically varying the winding speed.

Still another object of my invention is to provide improved Windingapparatus for taking up wire or other material to be wound and in whichthe rotatable take-up member is driven by an electromagnetic clutchadapted to operate with controlled slippage for driving the take-upmember at different winding speeds and in which the magnetization of theclutch can be automatically varied for controllingr the slippagethereof.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certainnovel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described andparticularly set out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings illustrating one embodiment of theinvention,

Fig. l is a side elevation of my winding apparatus showing the sameapplied to a wire drawing machine or the like;

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional plan View taken through the windingapparatus, and

Fig. 3 is a wiring diagram.

More detailed reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing forthe purpose of describing the particular embodiment of the inventionhere illustrated, but it will be understood, of course, that the presentillustration of the invention is by way of example and that my improvedwinding apparatus may be embodied in various other constructions andarrangements and can be applied to wire drawing machines, or to numerousother machines from which material to be wound is delivered orpayed-out.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing I show my improved winding apparatus I appliedto a Wire drawing machine Il, and show a strand of wire l2 passing fromthe capstan i3 of the drawing machine to the spool or rotatable take-upmember I4 upon which the material is to be wound.

My improved winding apparatus includes a frame or housing I5 having arotatable shaft I8 mounted therein. One end of this shaft may projectfrom the housing I5 and may carry an arbor or rotatable take-up member,such as the spool Il shown in this instance, and upon which the materialmay be wound after passing through the guide device Ila. Power fordriving the shaft I6 may be supplied by an independent driving motor, oras shown in this instance, may be supplied from the machine Il throughthe shafts I1 and I8 and the coupling I9 connecting the same. Fortransmitting power from the shaft ll to the shaft I6, I employ anelectromagnetic or eddy current clutch 20 which, as `will be presentlyexplained, forms a part of a control means whereby the winding speed atwhich the spool I4 is driven can be automatically varied in response tothe building-up of the material on the spool. Such variation of thewinding speed is desirable, as is well known to those skilled in thislart, because as the material builds up on the spool the Winding speedshould be progressively decreased to prevent breakage of the strand orother material being wound.

The clutch 20 may comprise a frame 2| having a pair of coaxial rotors 22and 23 arranged for rotation therein and adapted to be magneticallycoupled with a controlled amount of slippage or relative rotationtherebetween for transmitting driving torque through the clutch. Theouter rotor 22 which may also be referred to as the driving rotor iskeyed or otherwise connected to the shaft Il, and the inner or drivenrotor 23 may be keyed or otherwise connected to a rotatably mountedsleeve or hollow shaft 24 which surrounds the shaft I1. The sleeve 2dmay be drivingly connected with the shaft i6 by any suitable means, suchas the bevel gears 25 and.

26 shown in this instance.

The driving rotor 22 may be of any appropriate form or construction, forexample, it may comprise a wheel-like member or spider 21 and an axiallyprojecting rim portion 29 surrounding the driven rotor 23 with an airgap 2B therebetween. This rim portion 29 may be formed integral with themember 21, or as here shown, may comprise a separate annular memberhaving circumferentially spaced ns 30 on the outside thereof and whichis connected with the i member 21, either directly or with the ring 3|disposed therebetween. The members 2l, 29 and 3| constituting the outeror driving rotor 22 may be connected by welding or by any other suitableconnecting means.

The inner rotor 23 may comprise a disk portion or spider 32 and rings 33and 34 mounted on opposite sides of such disk portion adjacent the rimthereof so as to provide an annular groove or recess 35 adapted toreceive an energizing winding 36. The rings 33 and 34 may be welded orotherwise connected with the disk member 32 and the latter may be keyedor otherwise connected with the sleeve 24. The terminals of theenergizing winding 36 may be suitably connected with a pair of sliprings 31 and 38 which are mounted on but insulated from the sleeve 24and with which brushes 39 and 40 cooperate for supplying energizingcurrent t the Winding.

In the operation of my winding apparatus, the rotor 22 is driven bytorque applied to the shaft Il. By energizing the winding 36 the rotor23 can be magnetically coupled with the rotor 22 to be driven therebyand thus driving torque can be transmitted through the sleeve 24 and thegears 25 and 26 to the shaft I6 carrying the winding arbor or spool I4.By varying the energization or excitation of the winding 36, themagnetic coupling between the rotors 22 and 23 can be varied to therebyvary the slippage between these members. In other words, by reducing theenergization of the Winding 36, the slippage between the rotors can beincreased and the Winding speed of the spool thereby reduced.

To secure automatic variation or adjustment of the winding speed of thespool I4, I may provide a rheostat 4I or the like in circuit with thewinding 36 and may vary the setting of the rheostat in accordance withthe building up of wound material on the spool. For this purpose I mayprovidc'a pivotcd lever 42 which is connested with the actuating arm 43of the rheostat by a link 44 and which cooperates with the woundmaterial either directly or by means of a roller 45 carried thereby. Asthe material builds up on the spool I4, the arm or lever 42 will beswung on its pivot and the setting of the rheostat 4I will becorrespondingly changed and will reduce the energizaton of the winding36 of the magnetic clutch 20. Thus as the material builds up on thespool, the slippage of the clutch will be permitted to increase and thewinding speed of the spool will be correspondingly decreased.

The position or setting of the rheostat arm 43 with respect to theroller-carrying arm 42 can be varied or adjusted as desired byshortening or lengthening the link 44 which can be in the form of aturnbuckle so as to permit of this adjust ment. I may also provide ameans for varying or controlling the eiectiveness of the automaticallyoperated rheostat 4I. This means may be in the form of a second rheostat46 which is preferably arranged in parallel with the rheostat 4I, asshown in Fig. 3, although it may be connected in series with therheostat 4I if desired. The rheostat 45 is set or adjusted manually atthe beginning of the winding operation, or at times during the windingoperation if this is necessary or desirable to thereby vary or determinethe effectiveness which the rheostat 4I is to have. It may be desirableto provide a further adjustment of the winding speed whereby the tensionon the strand I2 can be controlled o1 varied. This latter adjustment maybe in the form of a third rheostat 4l provided in the energizing circuitof the winding 36.

When the spool becomes full, the Winding 36 may be completelydeenergized, as by opening the switch 48, so that the spool can bebrought to a stop preparatory to being dismounted from the shaft I6. Theswitch 48 can be actuated manually or can be incorporated in therheostat 4I so that it will be opened automatically when the roller 45is moved to a position corresponding with the lled condition of thespool I4.

To expedite the stopping of the spool when the magnetic clutch isdeenergized, I may provide a magnetic brake so that the spool will notcontinue to coast and cause breakage or tangling of the material. Inthis instance I show such a magnetic brake embodied in the clutch 20 andcomprising a rotor 50 carried by the disk 32 of the inner rotor 23 andarranged to operate in a stator 5I which is carried by the frame 2| andprovided with a magnetizing winding 52. This winding can be energized atsubstantially the same time that the winding 36 is deenergized, as bymanual actuation of a rheostat or switch 53 contained in an appropriateenergizing circuit, to thereby apply magnetic braking action to therotor 50 asi the result of which the spool I4 may be quicklyy A broughtto a stop.

From the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing it will nowbe readily understood that I have provided improved winding apparatuswhich may be used with a wire drawing machine or with various otherdevices for taking up the Wire or other material being payed-out ordelivered therefrom. It will be seen further that by embodying in thedriving means for the spool o1' take-up member an electromagnetic oreddy current clutch adapted to operate with controlled slippage, I amable to vary the winding speed in response to the progressive buildingup of the Wound material. It will be understood further that the use ofsuch a magnetic clutch in the driving means of my winding apparatusprovides a simple and eiiicient means for automatically securing asmooth and positive variation in the Winding speed in response to thebuilding-up of the material on the spool or arbor While I haveillustrated and described my improved winding apparatus in a somewhatdetailed manner, it will be understood, of course, that I do not Wish tobe limited to the particular construction and arrangement of partsherein disclosed but regard my invention as including such changes andmodifications as do not constitute a departure from the spirit of theinvention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In winding apparatus of the character described, the combination ofrotatable means upon which material is adapted to be wound, means fordriving said Irotatable means including an electromagnetic clutch, amember engaging the wound material and adapted to be moved thereby asthe material builds up on said rotatable means, and means actuated bymovement of said member for varying the magnetization of said clutch.

2. In winding apparatus of the character described, the combination of.a frame, a shaft rotatable in said frame and carrying winding means uponwhich material is adapted to be wound, driving means including anelectromagnetic clutch adapted to operate with controlled slippage fordriving said shaft at different Winding speeds, a member cooperatingwith the wound material and adapted to be moved as the material buildsup on said winding means, means actuated by movement of said member forcontrolling the slippage of said clutch, a magnetic brake comprisingcooperating brake elements connected respectively with said frame andshaft,

and means for energizing said brake for stopping said shaft.

3. In winding apparatus of the character described, the combination ofrotatable means upon which material s adapted to be Wound, driving meansincluding an electromagnetic clutch adapted to operate with controlledslippage for driving said rotatable means at different Winding speeds, arheostat for varying the magnetization of said clutch to control theslippage thereof, and an arm engageable with the wound material andconnected with said rheostat to actuate the latter as the materialbuilds up on the rotatable means.

4. In winding apparatus of the character described, the combination ofrotatable means upon which material is adapted to be wound, drivingmeans including an electromagnetic clutch adapted to operate withcontrolled slippage for driving said rotatable means at diierent windingspeeds, an energizing circuit for said clutch, a variable resistancedevice in said circuit, means actuated in response to the building up ofwound material for automatically varying the resistance of said device,and other control means in sald circuit comprising a series resistanceand a resistance in parallel with said variable resistance and manualmeans for individually varying such series and parallel resistances.

EDWIN J. MCILVRIED.

